Dec 17, 2011, 3:10pm

Edited: Dec 17, 2011, 3:12pm

Sometime last week I finished Lebensbilder. It is a collection of shortstories out of the 50s and it is all about christian values and lifestyle, beliefing and god and the bible. it is really good, also for non-christians (I am not christian, I know what I talk about ;) ) because it deals with a lot of things of daily life that seem to be forgotten but are actually worth remembering.

Dec 17, 2011, 3:18pm

Dec 17, 2011, 4:41pm

Thanks for starting the thread, Robert.

I finished my ER book, The Meerkat Wars, and am now contemplating what book to start...shall I pick up Killashandra again, so that I can read the sequel, Crystal Line with a refreshed memory of the story line?

Dec 17, 2011, 5:38pm

Dec 17, 2011, 5:41pm

>4 bookwoman247: Bookwoman247---you're in for a treat. I read South Riding earlier this year and loved it. You can follow it up with the Masterpiece Theater production which was pretty true to the book, although Sarah Burton was an older woman in the book than the movie actress.

Dec 17, 2011, 6:03pm

I was surprised and delighted that a spanking new copy of P.D. James' Death Comes to Pemberley awaited me at the library.Pouring myself some eggnog and settling down for what I expect to be a thumping good read.

Dec 17, 2011, 7:16pm

I'm reading a LTER Improbable Patriot which is a really enjoyable account of Beaumarchais and France in the latter half of the 1700's. My husband is reading Catherine the Great. They make a good pair, comparing accounts of royal excess and intrigue.

Edited: Dec 17, 2011, 8:37pm

I finished Michael Holroyd's A Book of Secrets -- an interesting book which introduced me to a collection of characters I'd certainly not have known of otherwise: novelist Violet Trefusis (one-time lover of Vita Sackville-West) and illegitimate daughter of Ernest Beckett; Ernest Beckett, British politician, banker, lord, lover of the ladies, and wealthy owner of a famous estate in Italy; Eve Fairfax, one-time fiancee of Becket, muse of Rodin, the model for several sculptures produced by the master; Alice Keppel, mother of Violet, lover of Ernest, lover of Edward VII, great-grandmother of another famous lover of a future king . . . really, it was hard to keep all these relationships straight. But it was fascinating to read about them and so many other people who are connected to them in various ways, including of course some members of the Bloomsbury set. The book's sub-title is Illegitimate Daughters, Absent Fathers and one of the most touching parts of the book involves a woman, Catherine Till, who has been searching for much of her life for confirmation of the identity of her birth father, who may or may not have been another of Ernest Beckett's children by one of his lovers. In any case, the book has me interested in Trefusis and her novels, some of which have never been translated into English (the English not thinking very kindly of a woman who tried to wreck Sackville-West's marriage). Many of these people were quite wealthy and extremely selfish and careless in their personal relationships -- I sometimes grew weary of their inability to see life except as it affected them. But the maze of connections and the trail Holroyd -- and Catherine Till and others -- follow to try to recover information, some of which may no longer exist, made this quite an interesting journey.

Dec 17, 2011, 9:25pm

At my RL book club Friday I was the only member who didn't like The Art of Racing in the Rain. That amazes me. My daughter and I traded in our old Clunky Nooks today and got brand new Nook tablets. I do believe I'm in love. My initial flight will be with The Crystal Singer in remembrance of Anne McCaffrey.

Edited: Dec 18, 2011, 12:02am

I finally finished A Dance with Dragons (it only took me almost four months and probably gave me permanent neck damage; that sucker weighs about five pounds)! Today I brought home from the library The Devil of Nanking (touchstone not working), Money Shot by Christa Faust, and Fatal Flaw by William Lashner, whose previous two books I really enjoyed. Also The Black Tower by Louis Bayard. Think I'm going to start with Money Shot; a little noir would make for a nice change from A Song of Ice and Fire.

Dec 18, 2011, 3:49am

Dec 18, 2011, 6:04am

#4/9 So pleasing to hear of more fans of South Riding. I first read it about 40 years ago but was probably too young to appreciate it. This year I picked it up again and fell in love with it. It's kicked off a major interest in the much-neglected female writers of the 1930s for me and I'm currently wallowing in Summer Will Show by Sylvis Townsend Warner.

Dec 18, 2011, 7:45am

Dec 18, 2011, 8:08am

Thanks for kicking us off, Robert! Good job!

Finished the wonderful Sea of Poppies and since I've been gushing over it for over 10 days, it should be no big surprise. I cannot wait to read River of Smoke, the next book in the trilogy!I listened to and finished the audio of A Christmas Carol, which was also fantastic. My version was read by Frank Muller, who did a stellar job.Next up, is Zone One by Colson Whitehead. Back to zombie land!

Dec 18, 2011, 12:17pm

Dec 18, 2011, 12:42pm

#7 fuzzi - In my opinion, if you are faced with a choice between The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and anything else (unless "anything else" = one of the Smiley books), I'd say read The Spy Who Came In From the Cold. It's so good.

Dec 18, 2011, 1:19pm

Dec 18, 2011, 1:38pm

I finished my poring over the vocabulary and implications of it of proto-indo-european and started How to Live by Sarah Bakewell. I know that plenty of people have found Montaigne to be most eminently readable, but not I. So this is a little Montaigne-lite.

Dec 18, 2011, 5:09pm

Well I'm not a fan of Stephen King, but after being prodded to read his new book, 11/22/63, by a friend, I dove into it. Just finished it and it was quite a ride. I literally loved it, and was heartbroken when it ended. Someone said " if you only read one western in your life, read Lonesome Dove" so that's where I'm headed next.

Dec 18, 2011, 7:27pm

Dec 18, 2011, 9:52pm

Take it from this usually-don't-care-for-Westerns person, I LOVED Lonesome Dove! I came to it late in the game, never saw the television movies or anything either. Just loved it.

I finished A Small Furry Prayer by Steven Kotler and put up my review. I am thinking of writing to the man about that goof-ball title. I have tried to recommend it to a few people and already, they go, nah, I'm not into the religious thing. I wonder if that was an editor's requirement because while there is some talk of afterlife and beliefs and such, it's a very small part of the book and it's not at all religious in nature (very scientific, in fact). Ah well.

I am now about 40 pages into A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin and wow, what a discovery. I am loving it. I just picked it up at a library used book sale a couple weeks ago for a dollar.

Dec 18, 2011, 9:54pm

Dec 19, 2011, 1:50am

I finished and really liked a Lovecraft story collection, introducing me to Cthulhu and his buddies.My next read is Great Expectations. I have never read anything by Dickens, and I want to read this before the new mini-series comes on BBC this Christmas.

Dec 19, 2011, 9:34pm

Dec 19, 2011, 10:54pm

>39 fuzzi: Fuzzi: I did see the mini-series years ago, but I'm putting it off watching it again until after I've finished the book (which is wonderfully satisfying so far). As it is, I picture Robert Duvall everytime Gus says something.

Dec 20, 2011, 5:41am

#33 I think you've picked a goodie to start with - I love (most) Dickens and Great Expectations is far and away my favourite. The secret is to let yourself get lost in the story and the wonderful characters and take your time over it - try not to rush it so that you can watch a dramatisation, you can always record that and watch it later.

#35/38 It really does look as if I need to bump Sea of Poppies up Mount TBR. I've no idea why I've let it sit there so long and now there'll soon be books from Santa to read once I've finished the amazing Summer Will Show but SOP sounds like a must for early next year.

Dec 21, 2011, 5:57pm

I just finished the LTER, Improbable Patriot. This is an astonishing ribald tale of a French character. His genius, cunning, and indefatigable energy and good will repeatedly bumped up against the French king and nobility. He lost everything many times but came back with perseverance. It's an excellent story well told. America owes much to him, at least as much as it owes Lafayette, but has never given him his due. Maybe this biography will help in some small way.

Dec 21, 2011, 6:05pm

Explosive Eighteen was entertaining and good fun. Many laugh out loud moments. Some grow weary of the schtick, but I'm not one of them. She continues to riff on her core cast and basic story elements in clever and hilarious ways.

Dec 21, 2011, 7:41pm

Dec 21, 2011, 7:55pm

Earlier this week I finished the latest Three Pines installment, A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny. It's been fun always to have one to look forward to, so I have mixed feelings about catching up with Ms. Penny. This week I am finally making headway through Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff. About time, too, as I've now renewed it twice. It's our book club's January book. No read aloud going at the moment -- no time :(

Dec 21, 2011, 11:07pm

I finished and reviewed an LTER book, The Puppy Diaries: Raising a Puppy Named Scout by Jill Abramson. It's not an especially compelling story but I found that I appreciated it for what it wasn't. No drama, no trauma, no death, just the story of a couple and their pup. A quick and easy read for dog lovers.

Dec 22, 2011, 11:01am

Yesterday finished The Big Four, by Agatha Christie, which was probably the zaniest one I've read. I've started Dead Lagoon, by Michael Dibdin, but much to my dismay I'm not really engaging with it. Perhaps it's because it's only three days until Christmas and I've got too many other things on the brain.

Dec 22, 2011, 11:25am

I am halfway through The Portrait by Iain Pears and I have to say it is unusual. Imagine the scene. A painter painting a portrait, and so far the entire book is comprised of the monologue of the painter speaking to the man sitting for the portrait.

Dec 22, 2011, 1:02pm

Dec 22, 2011, 2:19pm

I'm almost finished listening to Making Rounds With Oscar. There's nothing like making popcorn balls and listening to a book about death to put one in the holiday spirit. Cdyankeefan, sounds like you're going to join me in the ambiance.

Dec 22, 2011, 4:37pm

I'm wrapping presents and baking cookies and singing Christmas songs and trying to keep the house clean, and once in awhile I stop to read a chapter of Bobbie Ann Mason's The Girl in the Blue Beret. There are 60 chapters so I may have it finished by Christmas . . . or not.

Dec 22, 2011, 4:48pm

I finished Austerity Britain, with some relief. It's a good book, but as exhausting as it is exhaustive, and I think I'll read something slimmer from my non-fiction shelf before tackling Family Britain, the follow-up.

Dec 22, 2011, 7:24pm

Dec 22, 2011, 7:34pm

I finished and reviewed Making Rounds With Oscar and read some of the reviews. A few people complain that it such a "downer". I think the average reader, including myself, thought it would be more of a cat book than the medical book that it is. There's some interesting information about dementia, tests for it, care of the people who have it and their families, end of life care. It's not really a downer, but it's sure not your usual animal lovers book. Now I'll start olistening to World and Town.

Dec 23, 2011, 12:46am

Dec 23, 2011, 1:47am

Mark ~ Doc's destined to be my last 5-star book this year, I think. I got down to the last 5 pages tonight before I stopped reading it because, as I said, I don't want it to end. (Same thing happened when I read Lonesome Dove, by the way.) So hoping she writes a sequel to it.

Amazing how a sickly little guy like that can seem so heroic, even while exposing the outsized legends as just so much hyperbole.

Dec 23, 2011, 6:45am

Dec 23, 2011, 8:45am

#45, Booksloth, I didn't rush it, but I finished Great Expectations. When I had reached Volume III, I couldn't put it down, I had to know what was coming next. It was already 00:30, but I kept saying to myself, "just one more chapter". And then it was done. Wonderful book.This morning I read The Stealers of Dreams in one go, to get a Doctor Who fix.

Dec 23, 2011, 2:38pm

Dec 23, 2011, 3:08pm

78 -- Oh, bookwoman247, I loved using The Westing Game with my middle school reading students. I came across a copy of that book recently and it brought back so many memories . . . time to read it again -- also Johnny Tremain, A Wrinkle in Time, A Gathering of Days, and, oh, so many more. Enjoy Raskin's book -- it's a treasure.

Dec 23, 2011, 5:06pm

Dec 23, 2011, 7:25pm

I'm working on the last in "The Immortal Instruments" series, City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. This is a great series for the Young Adults out there. I've already recommended it to a customer and sold the first. They asked for a hold on the other two! ;) Love when I sell books out from under myself! LOL

Edited: Dec 23, 2011, 11:54pm

Just finished Doc. Wonderful book! Started my November Bonus ER ~ the new V.I. Warshawski by Sara Paretsky ~ Breakdown. Right from the start, it grabbed me and, if I wasn't so exhausted from Christmas shopping after too little sleep last night, I would not be putting it down for another couple of hours. But I think I'm going to head to bed and listen to Clockwork Angel on the iPod for awhile, then get to sleep early. Busy day tomorrow!

Dec 24, 2011, 10:18am

You guys really, really have caused my Mount TBR to be teetering. Doc sounds right up my alley! I am still reading A Soldier of the Great War and loving it. It's just sort of Don Quixote-ish, or something, so it's a slow, insightful journey. I'm taking my time and enjoying the ride. Plus, that Christmas gig and gets things a little busy this time o' year.

Edited: Dec 24, 2011, 2:54pm

Dec 25, 2011, 10:42am

#78 bookwoman... The Westing Game was one of my all-time favorite childhood books!! I was a huge reader as a kid and I don't remember all that many of the books I read, but that one stands out. I gave it to my 10 year old cousin for his birthday, though I have no idea if he read it or not. Now that you mention it, I should reread it myself!